FRIDAY FOTO (October 11, 2019)

SEALs at Sunrise.

(U.S. Navy photo Senior Chief Petty Officer Jayme Pastoric)

Sailors assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group 2 (NSWG2) participate in dive operations in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 18, 2019.

Based at Little River, Virginia, NSWG2 consists of three SEAL teams (2, 4, 8 and 10), which conduct reconnaissance, direct action, unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense and other operations in maritime and riverine environments, according to the Federation of American Scientists’ Special Operations Forces Reference Manual.

NSWG2 also includes SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, (which operates and maintains submersible systems to deliver and recover SEALs in hostile areas), Naval Special Warfare Unit 4 (a small command and control element located outside the continental United States)  and Naval Special Warfare Unit 10, according to the Global Security web site.

 

SHAKO: Defenders Day Blast

Purple Cannons Majesty.

(U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Jacob Holmes)

Soldiers assigned to the Presidential Salute Battery of 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” participate in a Defenders Day performance at Fort McHenry in Baltimore on September  14, 2019. Defenders Day commemorates the successful defense of Baltimore from a British invasion force during the War of 1812.

Based at Fort Myer, Virginia, the 3d U.S. Infantry is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, serving the  nation since 1784. “The Old Guard” is the Army’s official ceremonial unit that accompanies honor funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and serves as escort to the president. Other units in the regiment include the Continental Color Guard, red-coated Fife and Drum Corps, and the U.S. Army Drill Team.

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 SHAKO is an occasional 4GWAR posting on military history, traditions and culture. For the uninitiated, a shako is the tall, billed headgear worn by many armies from the Napoleonic era to about the time of the American Civil War. It remains a part of the dress or parade uniform of several military organizations like the corps of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.